Shoe last



March 19, 193 5. c, CLARK 1,994,568

SHOE LAST Filed Feb. 3, 1934 7 W 7 1 INVENTOR.

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BY ,1 I

ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 19, 1935 UNITED STA ES S O msrr; a George C. Clark, Beverly Hills, Calif.

Application February 3, 1934, Serial No. 709,583 3- Claims. (01. 1 2-140) The invention relates to shoe lasts, and particularly to metal shoe lasts which may be used in the manufacture of leather footwear requiring the use of nails.

Lasts of this character and for this purpose have heretofore been made of wood, inasmuch as, in the manufacture of leather footwear, it is common practice to nail parts of the shoe to the last. For instance, one of the first operations in the manufacture of a shoe is the nailing of the inner sole, about which the shoe is built, to the last to temporarily hold it in desired position relative to the last until other shoe parts are secured thereto. Another instance of nailing the shoe to the last involves the nailing of the outer sole to the shoe, wherein conventional shoe machine practice involves the nailing of the outer sole to the inner sole, the nails not being clinched in the nailing operation. To permit the use of a metal last in the conventional methods of shoe manufacture, it istherefore necessary to provide the last with portions into'which nails may be driven; and it is the primary object of the invention to provide a last of this character.

A further object is to provide a metal last of this character with an inset formed. of a metal, such as lead, which is sufiiciently soft to permit nails to be driven therein.

A further object is to provide a metal last of this character with a recess in its tread portion, said recess being of greater transverse dimension at its inner end than at its mouth whereby the metal insert which it mounts is effectively locked therein. 7

A further object is to provide a metal last having a recess in its tread surface into which molten metal having a lower melting point than the metal of said last may be poured.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawing, described and claimed, it being 'understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawing: 7

Figure'l is a view of the last in side elevation.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the last.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view of the last taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the toe member of an articulated hollow metal shoe last which is pivoted at 2 to a heel member 3. The sole or tread portion 4 of the toe member ,of the last provided with an inwardly directed marginal enlargement 5 posi-' tioned at and extending rearwardly from the front thereof. A groove 6 is cut in the outer face of the tread member 4 at the portion thereof provided with enlargement 5, said groove being spaced from the edges of and conforming in outline to the outline of said tread portion. The groove is of a depth sufficient to receive a tack or shoe nail. At one or more points along the longitudinal center of said toe member, the tread portion 4 is also provided with inwardly directed enlargements '7, preferably of cylindrical shape, and a recess 8 is cut in the tread portion 4 to extend into said enlargement. The sides 9 of the groove 6 and recess 8 preferably taper to provide the same insets 10 are finished with the tread portion 4 to provide a regular continuous bearing surface.

The metal of which the insets 10 are formed must, in addition to having a low melting point, be soft enough to permit shoe nails to be driven therein.

This construction has the advantages of a metal member, by way of strength, freedom from splintering', and the like, and at the same time may be used in the same manner as wooden lasts are used, even with respect to nailing. Also, it has the advantage of firmly holding each nail as it is driven therein, regardless of the extent of previous use,- since the pounding of a nail therein tendsto displace the metal surrounding previously formed nail holes in a manner to at least partially close said previously formed nail holes. In this respect the metal insets eliminate the necessity of replacement, which is frequently required in wood lasts by reason of the porous character of wood and the tendency thereof to retainall nail holes. Another advantage of the construction is that the metal insets may be easily worked by pounding upon them with a hammer, whereby nail holes may be worked out or a tendency to bulge outwardly of the desired tread contour may be quickly, easily and inexpensively remedied.

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed as new and useful is:-

1. As an article of manufacture, a hollow metal member for use in the manufacture of an article in which nails are to be driven, said member having at least one enlargement formed in the 'interior thereof and having a recess formed in its exterior and extending into said enlargement, the inner transverse dimension of said recess exceeding thetransverse dimension thereof :at its mouth, andan inset conforming'in shape to and mounted in said recess, said inset being formed of a metal into which nails may be driven.

2, As an article of manufacture, a hollow metal member for use in the manufacture of an article in which nails are to be driven, said member having an enlargement formed in the interior .said recess and formed of a metal into which nails may be driven, and means 'for anchoring said insetin said recess. 7

. GEORGE C. CLARK. 

